How to Maintain Mental Health at Work

How to Maintain Mental Health at Work

This article written by EM Training Solutions introduces some simple yet effective steps you can take to ensure your mental health and wellbeing are a priority in the workplace.

It’s no secret that your mental health and work go hand in hand. Most of us spend the majority of our lives at work, and with the constant pressures, demands and deadlines of certain roles; it’s not rare that these can result in us feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Subsequently, it can also be difficult to try and manage existing mental health issues in your day to day working environment.

A staggering 89% of workers with mental health problems reported an impact on their working life and nearly half of the people taking part in the survey also claimed they had considered resigning from a role as it negatively impacted their mental health.

Know Your Limits

Everyone wants to do their best in their job, whether it’s reaching a target or just impressing your manager; however we also need to set ourselves realistic boundaries to ensure that we don’t end up overworked and burnt out.

Whether it’s leaving work on time, or enjoying your full lunch break and not taking on too many extra tasks, don’t feel guilty for this. Not only will your manager respect your honesty if you are truthful about how much workload you can handle, but it will also benefit your mental health and allow you to feel in control.   

Try to Positively Manage Stress

Stress is a normal human reaction to certain situations; therefore most of us will experience it fairly regularly particularly in the workplace.  However, when stress isn’t dealt with properly or managed in a healthy way, then it can lead to further health issues. Noticing when things are getting too much for you to deal with can help you to try and tackle the stress before it develops into more serious problems.

If your stress is work-related, then don’t be afraid to speak up about how you are feeling. Although this may be difficult at first, it can help you in the long run. Reach out to somebody from the HR department or your manager to see how the issues can be dealt with and what support they can offer you.

Another way you can deal with stress is to write down the main things that are causing you to feel that way and try to come up with a solution to each problem. Although this seems small, speaking about your feelings or writing them down can help you to confront them rather than ignore them.

Keep as Organised as Possible

When you are organized, you feel in control and on top of things, making it a great way to ensure your days in work areas stress-free as possible it also helps you to manage your time. Start each day by checking your diary so you know exactly what’s ahead, and also make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to fit in healthy meals and small breaks throughout the day when required to keep your energy levels up.

Practise Self Care

Self-care is one of the most effective things you can do to positively impact your mental health and wellbeing. Simply taking time out of your day to put yourself and your needs first are incredibly important. Leaving for work a little early and sitting in your favorite coffee shop for 20 minutes before you start your day, or dedicating an hour after work to do something that makes you feel good will all add up and lead to a more positive you.

Author Bio:

EM Training Solutions offer over 10 years of experience as a health and safety and compliance training provider. They offer a wide range of first aid courses, as well as fire and traffic marshal training suitable for a range of different industries.